International Studies Perspectives (2004) 5, 1–22.
PEDAGOGY IN INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
Using Role-Play Scenarios in the IR
Classroom: An Examination of Exercises on
Peacekeeping Operations and Foreign
Policy Decision Making
CAROLYN M. SHAW
Wichita State University
Use of role-play scenarios in the classroom is just one of a number of
active learning techniques that are being used more and more
frequently to convey the more abstract concepts of international
relations (IR) to students in a meaningful way. This paper examines
the value of two specific role-play exercises used in an introduction to
international relations course on the topics of peacekeeping and foreign
policy decision making. The value of such interactive exercises is laid out
in a section examining what learning objectives can be achieved by using
role-play scenarios. These include promoting student interaction and
input, and promoting student curiosity and creativity. The preparations
necessary for conducting such an exercise are laid out, followed by a
description of the exercises as they were conducted in the classroom.
Finally, an assessment of the exercises provides useful feedback on the
degree to which specific learning objectives were achieved, and how
such exercises can be modified to be even more effective.
Keywords: role playing, foreign policy, active learning
Introduction
Instructors in university classrooms today face a challenging teaching environment
as they work to impart an understanding of the international system and its many
complex issues to students. In many instances, an introductory college course in
international relations (IR) may be the students’ first exposure to international
politics, not having had the opportunity to cover the topic in high school. The
challenge of conveying abstract theoretical IR concepts is great when the students
may not even have basic geographical knowledge, let alone more substantive
knowledge of relations between states. In such a setting, it is critical to be able to
actively engage the students and provide hands-on activities to make some of the
abstract concepts come to life. A variety of active learning techniques have been
introduced in college classrooms in recent years in an effort to convey these
concepts effectively in an alternative fashion to the traditional lecture format. These
alternative methods include collaborative learning, case teaching, simulations and
other ‘‘student-centered’’ approaches (Boyer et al., 2000:4). Although studies
r 2004 International Studies Association.
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Using Role-Play Scenarios in the IR Classroom
increasingly indicate the effectiveness of these techniques for the retention of
materials (Stice, 1987; Hertel and Millis, 2002:4–9), it is important to carefully
consider the design and implementation of such active learning exercises and to
continue to assess their effectiveness in the classroom.
This paper discusses the potential benefits to using role-play scenarios in the
classroom, the steps taken to design two different exercises, and an assessment of
these exercises used in an introduction to international relations course. The first
exercise is on the complexities of ‘‘peacekeeping’’ operations,1 focusing on the
interactions between the diplomats, the military peacekeepers, and the nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The context is a three-way civil war set in the
fictional, developing country of Zodora. The second exercise examines the
challenges of foreign policy decision making in a crisis. The context is a fabricated
escalation of the situation in Colombia with the government requesting greater
American aid to defeat the increasingly threatening Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia (FARC) rebel forces. Students represent a variety of decision makers,
including the U.S. President, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, Secretary of
Commerce, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA), and Senate leaders. Through discussion of my own experiences in planning
and using role play exercises in the classroom, I hope to provide useful information
to others as to what has worked well and what has not, and to reaffirm the value of
these exercises as effective teaching techniques. I hope that others might find the
exercises that I have developed useful in their classrooms as well.
Learning Objectives
The incorporation of active learning exercises into the international relations
classroom allows instructors to achieve several different educational objectives that
are beneficial to the students. Although different instructors will have different
goals for including role-play scenarios in their courses, some common goals often
include providing an alternative presentation of course materials, promoting
student interaction and input, promoting student curiosity and interest, and simply
having fun. Before creating and incorporating a role-play scenario in class, it is
important for instructors to identify what specific objectives they want to achieve by
using the exercise (Kille, 2002). General objectives are discussed in this section, and
the specific learning objectives for my two scenarios are discussed in the exercise
design section that follows.
Alternative Presentation of Course Materials
The use of role-playing in the classroom provides an alternative method for
presenting course materials in contrast to lecturing. Although some materials can
be conveyed well through an oral presentation, many concepts in international
relations only become less abstract when the student can apply them directly or
experience them personally (Preston, 2000). ‘‘To the extent that [students] engage
in constructing new knowledge or reconstructing given information, rather than
simply memorizing it, they gain a deeper understanding’’ (King, 1994:16).
Merryfield and Remy (1995:8) similarly note that ‘‘students master content not
only by being exposed to information through readings and lectures...but also by
engaging in a reflective process in which they make the information their own by
evaluating and using it.’’ Since class trips abroad are beyond the scope of most
courses, simulations can be used to place students in a unique international context
or position which they would otherwise be unable to experience, and give them the
1
The term ‘‘peacekeeping’’ in this exercise is a general one that encompasses a broad range of activities including
peace enforcement and peace making.
CAROLYN M. SHAW
3
opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the material. One challenge that
instructors face is the trade-off in terms of coverage of material and the time it takes
to conduct an active learning exercise. Such exercises usually take more time than
covering the same materials in lecture format (Boyer et al., 2000:4). The key to
using role-playing effectively without sacrificing too much content is to plan the
exercise carefully to provide interactive examples of the course materials.
Frequently this can be done in coordination with a preparatory lecture. The
concepts can be introduced prior to the exercise, and then participation in the
exercise provides the students with concrete examples of more abstract theories
and ideas presented in the lecture. For example, when learning about the
bureaucratic politics model of foreign policy decision making, students are often
frustrated that the government actors involved cannot simply ‘‘reach a consensual
agreement and do what’s best for our country.’’ By actually taking on the roles of
the different agencies involved in foreign policy making, students begin to
understand the underlying conflicts between these actors and the challenge of
clearly defining what is in our ‘‘national interest.’’
The alternative presentation of material also allows the instructor to accommodate different cognitive styles (Merryfield and Remy, 1995:9; Upcraft, 1996:32–
33; Seidner, 1978:20–21). Interactive exercises are particularly helpful to kinetic
learners, but are also suited to aural learners. Providing background-briefing
handouts (discussed below) can be very helpful to visual learners to prepare them
for the upcoming exercise. These exercises are well suited for students who are
nonlinear thinkers and allow them to incorporate lecture and assigned reading
materials in a more meaningful way that can be recalled and applied in the future.
Promote Student Interaction and Input
Encouraging students to interact with each other in the classroom provides several
benefits to the students. Interactive exercises using small groups give students a
chance to voice their own ideas without as much pressure as speaking in front of the
whole class. It also gives students a chance to bounce ideas off each other that they
might be too embarrassed to share directly with the instructor. This dynamic can be
particularly useful on campuses where the student body consists of many
commuters who have few opportunities to interact outside of class. In addition,
interactive exercises allow for peer learning to take place. Often students can
provide real-life examples, or put certain ideas in a context that their peers can
understand when instructors may be challenged to do so.
Greater student participation and interaction also provide opportunities to build
student confidence. The exercises challenge students to step out of the role of
passive absorber of knowledge and work together to solve problems. By reaching
solutions on their own, they gain more self-assurance in their own abilities
(McKeachie, 1994:163; Preston, 2000:112).
Promote Student Curiosity and Creativity
By designing the exercises in a way that provides essential, but not complete
information about a topic, the instructor can encourage further inquiry. After
providing background information to the students before the exercise, the
instructor can make herself available to answer specific questions throughout the
exercise. Students are not usually content with the brief background given and
frequently seek greater information because it makes a difference to them in how
they decide to play out their roles. This curiosity is much less likely to be in evidence
during a standard lecture period even when the material presented is controversial
or provocative. The context of the exercise promotes greater inquiry (McKeachie,
1994:163).
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Using Role-Play Scenarios in the IR Classroom
In addition to promoting further inquiries by the students, the exercise can also
provide an opportunity for creative thinking by not offering immediate solutions to
the problems presented, and by leaving the interaction relatively unstructured.
This allows students to come up with their own solutions and interactive dynamics.
For example, in the foreign policy role-play exercise, no direct instructions were
given as to how the individuals in each group should contribute to the decisionmaking process. Each group, however, quickly established its own rules for
discussion and voting on the policies to be recommended. Active learning exercises
structured in this way can promote the development of skills such as critical,
analytical thinking as well as ‘‘social and diplomatic’’ skills that might not be
developed in a lecture setting (Seidner, 1978; Smith and Boyer, 1996). As King
(1994:15) and others (Lowman, 1996; McKeachie, 1994) point out, teaching
students to think critically should be a fundamental function of our educational
system. Teachers should emphasize the process of thinking itself because much of
the content we impart in the form of rote knowledge will quickly become outdated
(Halpern, 1994:2).
Have Fun
A final objective that may sometimes be overlooked is the simple goal of having fun.
People tend to remember positive experiences and students tend to retain the
lessons they have learned through interactive exercises because of their enjoyment
of them. These exercises help capture students’ attention and are entertaining in
addition to being educational. A friend recently shared an undergraduate
experience that strongly impacted her over ten years ago. She had participated
in a role-play exercise on organizational decision making in the international
context, and she still remembered the research she had done on the topic in
preparation and the outcomes of the exercise.
Preparation and Design of the Exercises
To reap the maximum benefits from the exercises and achieve the objectives noted
above, it is important to do some clear planning and preparation (Jones, 1995:Ch.
5). The first step is to establish specific learning objectives for each exercise to
ensure that the course material is clearly presented in the role-play scenarios (Kille,
2002). Some of my objectives simply involved identification of terms or conditions,
and others sought a deeper understanding of a dynamic process through class
interactions. The objectives in the peacekeeping exercise were for the students to:
(1) identify the different actors involved in peacekeeping and their different
interests; (2) identify potential conflicting goals and interactions between the actors;
(3) identify the heavy resource demands necessary for successful peacekeeping
operations; (4) creatively consider what strategies or tactics would achieve specific
goals for peacekeeping actors; and (5) recognize the complex coordination issues
necessary for successful peacekeeping operations. The objectives in the foreign
policy decision-making exercise were for the students to: (1) recognize and
understand the different models of foreign policy decision making as presented in
lecture and the text; (2) recognize the time constraints and challenges decision
makers face; and (3) think analytically and creatively about the policy options
available to decision makers in a crisis situation.
The second preparatory step is to design the exercise so that there is both
intragroup discussion as well as intergroup discussion on the topic. Such an
exercise can teach students about cooperation and collaboration (Merryfield and
Remy, 1995:26). My groups were designed to be either interdependent on each
other’s actions, or to have shared decision-making authority and influence so that
once decisions were made within the groups, they would have to work with other
CAROLYN M. SHAW
5
groups to produce effective outcomes. For example, in the peacekeeping exercise,
the diplomats and military leaders recognized that neither could effectively bring
about a lasting peace without the help of the other. In the foreign policy decisionmaking exercise, the president received advice from both a congressional
committee and from his cabinet members prior to making his policy decisions. In
addition to designing the interdependence of the groups, it is important to consider
the size of the class and the number of groups needed to cover different points of
view adequately. My exercises were carried out in a class of twenty students with five
groups in the peacekeeping exercise and three groups in the foreign policy
decision-making exercise, thus putting approximately four to seven students in
each group. These small groups were ideal for allowing each student a chance to
speak up within their groups, as well as to participate in discussions between groups
later in the exercises. In larger classes, the instructor could duplicate each group to
accommodate a greater number of students. The duplication would keep the
groups small so that all students could actively participate within their groups, but
could present a challenge later in the exercise when the groups interact with each
other. The groups could take turns presenting their policy responses, but not all
groups would be able to give their input in a large class. In this situation, a written
debriefing assignment (discussed below) would provide the students an opportunity to describe their experience even if they did not have the chance to fully
articulate their policy decisions in class.
In order to facilitate good group discussions, it is important to consider the
placement of students into their groups before the exercise. I deliberately place a
‘‘leader’’ (a student who has been outspoken in the class) in each group so that
there is at least one student willing to speak up and get the ball rolling within in
each group. By placing the outspoken students in separate groups, it also prevents
them from conflicting too greatly with each other within their groups, or from two
of them together completely dominating group discussion to the exclusion of
others. Some consideration is given to the personal interests of the students. One
student with a strong military history background was placed in the military group.
Sometimes I deliberately place students who like a challenge out of their comfort
zone to try to make them ‘‘wear different shoes.’’ Merryfield and Remy (1995:22)
note that this helps students examine and better understand perspectives that differ
from their own. It is often the best-prepared students that are given the most
challenging roles. (In the case of the peacekeeping exercise, the challenge role is
that of the diplomats.) An additional factor to consider when assigning students to
different groups is placing students with contrary personalities in separate roles.
Occasionally students will display some antipathy toward each other during class
discussions. Placing these students in a single group where they are expected to
cooperate can be destructive to the exercise. For example, in the foreign
policymaking exercise, the role of president is supposed to resemble a single
decision maker, so it is important to pair students for that role who share similar
views. Potential absences must also be taken into consideration. I try to spread those
students with poor attendance records among the groups evenly so that no group is
left shorthanded.
Once the different groups have been established, the next step is to prepare
some background information for the exercise. Instructors often make the mistake
of assuming that the students have more information than they actually do, thus
making informed participation by the students difficult. It is important for the
students to have the information available to them prior to, or at the beginning of
the exercise so that they may fully understand the different viewpoints they are
expected to represent (Merryfield and Remy, 1995:25). If the instructor interrupts
the exercise to clarify a point, then the group dynamics may be thrown off (Jones,
1995:Ch. 4). These exercises were used in an introductory-level class that needed
this information to facilitate their role-playing. In the peacekeeping exercise the
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Using Role-Play Scenarios in the IR Classroom
background material consisted of a summary of an imaginary civil war resembling a
combination of several African conflicts. One group in the conflict had secessionist
goals in mind and controlled many of the natural resources in the country. Another
group dominated the military and political system and was reluctant to share power
with the third group that was demanding greater participation and more equal
treatment. The peacekeepers were faced with addressing issues of human rights
violations, refugees, provision of humanitarian assistance, and seeking a long-term
solution to the conflict. In the foreign policy exercise, the students were provided
with a summary of a crisis situation in Colombia (very similar to the reality) with
some information about each of the different actors engaged in the long-running
conflict. Different bits of information were designed to be of interest to different
actors within the cabinet. The negative impact of the conflict on the Colombian
economy and regional trade situation was noted. The potential for negotiation and
ambivalent demands of the rebels were also included. These background briefings
were designed to be one full page (or less) and were given to the class in advance.
The fourth step to take in preparing for the exercise is to write up specific
instructions for each group or each actor within a group to let them know more
about the role that they are taking on. These instructions should also include some
specific questions or directions about what they are expected to accomplish within
their group, or as an individual actor. In the peacekeeping exercise, for example,
each group was given a specific set of ‘‘mission mandates’’ with several questions
regarding how they would attempt to achieve their mandates. The NGO providing
humanitarian assistance was given the mandate to: (1) provide food for civilians
faced with insufficient supplies and (2) provide medical supplies for civilians
injured in the fighting. In the foreign policy exercise, within the bureaucratic
decision-making group, each member was assigned a different cabinet position with
various contradictory interests in addressing the conflict. The State Department
members were instructed to strongly pursue negotiations between the two sides in
hopes of achieving a diplomatic solution. The DEA, on the other hand, was directed
to have no trust or respect for the FARC and strongly doubted that anything could
be worked out diplomatically. Other departments were particularly concerned with
some of the consequences of the conflict including refugee flows, human
rights violations, and economic instability. The students were instructed not to
share their specific role information with others in the group. Once they began to
play their role, their positions and preferences became clear to the others in the
group.
A final step is to determine the timeframe for the exercise. Both of my exercises
were designed to be carried out in a single class period, but the 50-minute class
period proved to be quite a challenge. An hour-and-fifteen-minute class period, or
two 50-minute periods, worked better. The exercises are roughly divided into three
parts: intragroup discussion, intergroup discussion, and debriefing. In the first part
the students work within their groups to determine what strategies they want to
adopt or recommend to deal with the given crisis. In the second part, the class
comes together as a whole to discuss each group’s ideas and solutions and to see
how the groups affect each other. For example, one question that each group
considered in the peacekeeping exercise was what requests they might make of the
other groups to help them carry out their mandates more effectively. One request
made by the NGO dealing with refugees was that the military help them disarm any
refugees coming into the camps. Finally, the exercise ends with a debriefing period.
The debriefing is a key component to the exercise, allowing the students to learn
what was happening in the other groups, to debate the positions of different
groups, and to link the exercise to reality and to various theoretical concepts (Jones,
1995:Ch. 5; Merryfield and Remy, 1995:25). The debriefing allows the instructor to
reiterate key points in the process and to point out the similarities between the
exercise and the actual experiences of international actors.
CAROLYN M. SHAW
7
If an instructor has the time, the exercises could be designed to take a week,
which would allow more time for the debriefing. In order to justify taking more
than a single class period, research and writing components can be added to the inclass exercise itself. These preparations could be graded assignments and would
help to ensure that students take the exercise seriously. They would also serve to
enrich the writing component of the course. The research assignment would
provide the students with greater background knowledge prior to the exercise. For
example, for the foreign policy exercise, students might be assigned an essay on the
FARC, on the policy position of the current administration toward Colombia, or on
the different members who sit on the National Security Council that advises the
president. If an instructor wanted to shape the course around the central themes
brought out in a role-play exercise, the in-class scenario could be the concluding
component of a full semester’s research project. Rather than providing students
with brief summaries of the conflict situation, students could research the
background of the conflict (for example, Colombia), or the actors involved in a
specific peacekeeping operation. The knowledge gained through their own
research would allow them to play their assigned roles very realistically and would
give them greater insights into the wide range of policy options available to decision
makers in conflict and crisis situations. Having a graded research component
(whether brief, or more in depth) can also avoid a ‘‘free-rider problem,’’ although
my experience has been that valuable peer learning occurs within the groups
whether students have prepared in advance or not. Even those who do not
contribute a lot to the discussions learn from their classmates.
An essay might also be assigned following the exercise to incorporate the
debriefing component. This can help instructors limit the class time devoted to the
exercise while still including the debriefing. An essay can also be used in large
classes where not all students will have the opportunity to give their personal
feedback and discuss their group experience during the debriefing session.
Students could be asked to write about what they learned from the exercise, what
worked and what did not, and to discuss what additional actions they might have
taken in their role had they had more time to consider the circumstances. In
addition to helping students to reflect on what they have learned from the exercise,
such essays can also provide the instructor with good feedback for modifying the
exercises in the future.
Role-Play in Action
Once the advance preparations have been made, the exercise can be used in the
classroom. In the class period before the day of the exercise, background
information is provided to the students to be read before the next class. Most
students do take a few minutes to read these briefings before the exercise and are
prepared when class starts. In addition, these two exercises were paired with
introductory lecture material over peacekeeping and recent civil wars, and
different models of foreign policy decision making. This information was presented
the day before the exercises to give students a solid introduction to the material.
The exercises then provide a realistic context in which to apply this new knowledge
and observe the dynamics that have been described in lecture. The students are
divided into their groups and the exercise gets under way.
Peacekeeping
In the peacekeeping exercise, there were five different groups: military peacekeepers, international diplomats, a human rights NGO, a refugee relief NGO, and a
humanitarian assistance NGO. These groups were operating in the context of a
fictional, three-sided African civil war. The conflict briefing described the three
8
Using Role-Play Scenarios in the IR Classroom
different combatant groups and their interests. (One wanted to secede with many of
the prime natural resources in the country, one wanted more equal political power
sharing, and one wanted to hold on to its political dominance). The specific roleplay assignments gave additional information about the situation and problems on
the ground, and asked several questions about how the group was going to address
these problems. For example, the human rights NGO was given details about
reported abuses by two of the three sides and asked what tasks their team would
engage in, in order to carry out their mandate to monitor, record, report, and
publicize these abuses. Each of the groups was asked to consider what resources
they would need to best carry out their mandates, and what they might ask for from
the other actors involved to help them in fulfilling their mission (see Appendix).
The five groups were given about 20 minutes to discuss their group’s response to
the situation. I was available to answer any additional questions they had about the
conflict situation, or about what restrictions they faced in the role they were playing.
For example, the NGO providing services to refugees wanted to know if there were
refugees from all three sides coming to their camps and what they were supposed
to do about that. I briefly answered ‘‘yes,’’ and turned the problem back over to
them to address. This questioning by the groups also provides the instructor the
opportunity to give them greater background into what has been done in real
operations in the past and point out some of the pros and cons of different actions
they might choose to take. For example, the NGO providing humanitarian relief
(food and medical supplies) was informed that some regions of the country were
more secure than others. They wanted to know if they had to travel to the less
secure regions or not. I presented them with the dilemma that they might be
perceived as not being impartial in the conflict if they supplied one region with
relief but not another, also that they had strong moral incentives to provide for
those in greatest need (which were those that were in the insecure regions). The
group had to weigh the consequences and decide what actions it wanted to take.
Once the groups had worked out their own responses to the conflict, the class
came back together as a whole to hear the reports of each group. At this point, each
group got to hear the others’ answer to the question about what would be requested
from other groups to help them in fulfilling their mission. The interdependence of
the different groups became quite apparent in this discussion, as well as the
divergent interests and hesitance of the groups to carry out the tasks requested of
them by the others. For example, the humanitarian NGO chose to resolve its
dilemma about operating in an insecure area by requesting a military escort from
the peacekeepers, who subsequently refused to provide such a service.
The final portion of the exercise was a debriefing in which I pointed out how the
fictional exercise closely mirrored the real challenges faced by all the actors in
conflict situations. I noted some of the further limitations and dilemmas faced by
these actors in real life that I did not impose on the classroom groups. These
limitations include limited funding and personnel as well as limited political
support from the international community, and ultimately, the need for the
combatants themselves to be willing to end the fighting since peace enforcement is
rarely, if ever, successful in the long run.
Foreign Policy Decision Making
In the foreign policy decision-making exercise, the students were divided into three
different groups representing the three decision-making models in the text:
Bureaucratic Model, Rational Model, and History-Making Individuals Model
(Kegley and Wittkopf, 2001). The situation they were given to handle was an
escalation of the current conflict in Colombia. The first briefing they were given
described a situation in which violence had increased, as had reported human
CAROLYN M. SHAW
9
rights abuses and refugee flows, the economy was in serious decline, and the
president of Colombia had requested greater U.S. assistance (see Appendix).
The group modeling rational choice decision making was given the role of the
‘‘Senate Latin American Committee’’ and assigned the task of analyzing the
situation and giving its expert advice to the U.S. president as he formulated a U.S.
response to the crisis. The committee was given specific decision-making guidelines
that included: (1) problem recognition and definition (2) goal selection and
prioritization, and (3) identification of alternatives and cost-benefit analysis. Based
on these guidelines, this group had many additional questions for the ‘‘Latin
American expert’’ (myself) testifying before the committee. The committee members
wanted to know a lot more about the details of the conflict and what had already been
done in the past. Their questions gave them greater insights into the nature of the
long-lasting conflict, the FARC, and the multiple challenges facing the Colombian
government.
The group modeling the bureaucratic model of decision making was divided into
five different cabinet positions: State Department, Defense Department, Commerce
Department, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and the Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA). Two students were paired up for each department. The group as a
whole was told that they were an advisory group of top officials that the president
had put together in order to get policy recommendations on the Colombian
situation. They were also instructed that the president wanted a single consensual
recommendation from the group. The particular challenge the group faced was that
each department was given a separate set of guidelines specifying what their
departmental interests were and suggesting that they needed to ‘‘persuade the other
members of the group to see reason and adopt your position.’’ As in real life, these
positions were often contradictory. For example, the State Department guidelines
suggested that they believed a peaceful negotiated settlement was possible without
U.S. military action, whereas the DEA guidelines presented the FARC as narcotrafficking thugs that could not be reasoned with and therefore the DEA requested a
significant increase in military hardware to defeat these groups. In addition, the CIA
was given top-secret information it was not allowed to share with the group until the
information became public knowledge. (They feared compromising their agents
who had obtained the information). (The students representing the CIA found this
restriction on sharing this top-secret information very difficult.)
The third group, representing the president of the United States, modeled the
history-making individual model of decision-making. This group was smaller (three
students), and was given a separate briefing with more personal background
information about the president. The president was portrayed as a skilled diplomat,
having resolved the conflict in the Middle East with the signing of the ‘‘Berlin
Accords.’’ He was averse to committing U.S. troops abroad and risking American
lives if it could be avoided. However, he was also opposed to communist insurgents,
having strong backing from Cuban Americans in Florida. His strongest interest in
Latin America had been trade-related, not security issues. This group was
instructed to consider what policy options the president of the United States might
adopt, and to consider the recommendations of his advisory groups as well.
The exercise began with each group meeting separately to consider the situation
for about 15 minutes. Just as they were beginning to put together some
recommendations, I altered the situation by providing them with an unexpected
‘‘Crisis Update–Day 2’’ briefing. This briefing notified the groups that the cities of
Medellin and Cartagena had fallen to the FARC and were calling for the resignation
of the Colombian president. This new information was provided to simulate a more
crisis-like atmosphere in which time becomes critical to decision making and affects
the entire process.
After 10 more minutes of discussion, taking into consideration the updated
information, each group was asked to report their recommendations to the U.S.
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Using Role-Play Scenarios in the IR Classroom
president. The president was then given a few brief moments to consider this input
and to make a ‘‘public announcement’’ as to what action the United States would be
taking. The exercise then continued with a Day 3 update and a Day 4 update, final
recommendations to the president, and a final U.S. policy pronouncement by the
president.
The debriefing after the exercise was focused on the decision-making processes
that occurred within each group. As a whole, the class talked about what dynamics
they observed within their groups and the various challenges and frustrations they
faced in trying to respond to the crisis situation, new information, and
uncooperative colleagues. In the relative calm of the debriefing, students were
able to consider additional policy options and to discuss more fully the pros and
cons of certain options. In assessing the quality of advice given to the president, the
students had mixed views about whether they had made good recommendations or
could have done better given different circumstances.
Evaluation of the Exercises2
Following the debriefing in each exercise, students were given a brief assessment
survey to determine to what degree the learning objectives noted above were
achieved (see Appendix). Several of the questions specifically focused on the
‘‘factual’’ lessons learned, while others were more open-ended to assess the degree
of critical thinking and dynamic interactions that occurred. In assessing the
effectiveness of these two exercises, both of them were successful at meeting the
general objectives noted in the learning objectives section above. The nature of the
role-playing itself provided for an alternative presentation of course materials, with
both exercises complementing outside readings and lecture materials. The
exercises promoted student interaction with significant discussion among students
within their smaller groups, and also with the entire class during the debriefing
session. After a brief initial hush, the students were engaged in group discussion
throughout the duration of the exercise. Both exercises also promoted student
curiosity and creativity. Students had many questions about the context of the crisis
or conflict and the different options that might be available to them. They took
what information was provided, and then built on that information to design their
own creative solutions to the problems presented to them. The final course
evaluations indicated that the students enjoyed and remembered the exercise even
at the end of the semester. A number of comments indicated that this was their
favorite part of the course. Student remarks included: ‘‘I enjoyed working in a
group to understand the theories more’’ and ‘‘the exercise was very interactive
which helps me to gain a better grasp of these concepts.’’ In addition to achieving
these general objectives through role-playing, the exercises were also effective in
achieving the specific learning objectives laid out for each lesson.
Peacekeeping
The learning objectives for this exercise were twofold, with one aspect focused on
identification of actors, conflicting interests, and challenging conditions, and the
other aspect geared toward creative thinking and problem-solving. With regard to
the first aspect, the exercise was quite effective in helping students identify the
different actors and their interests. All except two students were able to list all five
groups and the different types of activities each of these actors were carrying out in
the conflict zone. The debriefing and discussion with the entire class at the end
helped the students understand the interests of the other groups. A number of
2
Special thanks to the students in my introduction to international relations course for their enthusiastic
participation in the exercises and their thoughtful responses to my assessment questions.
CAROLYN M. SHAW
11
students remarked that the military and diplomats seemed to make difficult
demands on each other but that they were ultimately interdependent. It was also
noted that the issue of neutrality played out differently among the groups, with
some attempting neutrality (the diplomats), and others taking clear positions
against those combatants who were violating human rights norms (the human
rights NGO).
Students were also able to clearly identify a variety of challenges that actual
peacekeepers face in their operations. They noted the problem of implementation:
‘‘identifying goals is pretty easy, but figuring out how to achieve them is more
difficult.’’ They recognized that reality is far more complicated than the exercise;
coordination and cooperation between groups is a significant hurdle to overcome.
The need for financial and logistical resources, as well as the life-threatening
environment and the challenge of time constraints were also identified as significant
problems faced by peacekeepers. Additional comments by the students about what
they learned from the exercise included: the challenge of dealing with multiple
actors in the conflict (especially for the diplomats), developing long-term goals that
are beneficial to all parties, the process that groups go through to achieve their goals
and mandates, the length of the process, the need for a clear mandate, and the
importance of the military for a variety of tasks (protecting NGOs, establishing safe
havens, and so on). Overall, students found the exercise very helpful to them for
understanding the dynamics of peacekeeping and the variety of actors involved,
with five students rating it a 5 (on a five-point scale), nine students rating it a 4, and
two ranking it as a 3, with none giving it a 2 or 1.
The exercise was also successful in stimulating the creativity of the students. Each
group came up with some good strategies for achieving their specified mandates
given the limitations and challenging conditions that they faced. For example, the
NGO charged with providing refugee relief determined that it would be important
to separate the different factions and make sure they were disarmed when they
arrived in the refugee camps. In addition, they thought it would be a good idea to
provide some education to the children because they would not be attending
schools otherwise. Perhaps, they argued, the children would have a better chance
for a more stable future if they were literate.
Foreign Policy Decision Making
Two of the three specific learning objectives for this exercise were achieved based
on the students’ responses to the assessment at the end of the scenario. Students
clearly recognized the time constraints and challenges decision makers face. Their
responses to the question concerning the impact of a crisis on foreign policy
decision making indicated that they felt considerable pressure to act quickly. It was
difficult to make well-considered decisions which resulted in ‘‘satisficing’’ rather
than ‘‘fully rational’’ behavior, and they noted that the government may be driven
to act because of public pressure. In addition, students believed that the challenges
they faced in the exercise closely mirrored the challenges of real policymakers.
They remarked that everyone had different interests which made compromise
difficult, that everyone had different information that was needed to make
informed decisions, that original goals tended to get lost in the process, and that the
policymakers faced very tough decisions in considering risking U.S. lives and
gaining international support for the actions to be taken.
Students were also engaged analytically and creatively in determining their
policy options as decision makers in a crisis situation. Some struggled to take on the
roles they were given, while others did not find this aspect of the exercise
problematic. Those who stepped into their roles without difficulty noted that it was
easy because they did not have to formulate or defend their own personal
recommendations. They liked to voice their position in the group and listen to the
12
Using Role-Play Scenarios in the IR Classroom
positions of others. Those students who had more difficulty taking on a different
identity felt constrained by their lack of knowledge of the issue, and their weak
position within the group (specifically those representing the Commerce Department when discussing military options). Some of the lessons that they claimed to
have learned from the simulation included: how difficult and complex policymaking is, how important information is to making good decisions, how difficult it
is to achieve consensus, how much advice the president gets, and how difficult it is
to ‘‘think outside the box.’’
The one lesson that did not come across clearly was the presentation of different
models of decision making. Students were able to accurately identify the model
their group was operating under, but only two students accurately identified the
models the other groups were using. Seven were able to name one of the other
groups, but ten did not identify either of the other groups correctly. This is most
likely due to an oversight in the introduction and debriefing by the instructor. It
was not explicitly mentioned which group was operating under which model (the
instructor assumed this would be obvious based on the text readings, but clearly not
everyone had done their readings in advance). This problem should be easily
corrected in the future by clearly identifying the model that each group is operating
by prior to and after the exercise itself. Despite this set back, a number of students
presented good arguments in discussing which model they thought best
represented the actual foreign policymaking process. The majority argued that
the bureaucratic politics model most accurately described the process because of the
‘‘pluralistic nature’’ of our society and government. It allows a variety of views to be
presented to find the best solution. The minority who supported the rational-actor
model made a similar argument, noting the importance of discussing all options as
being the most logical process.
One additional problem that was noted was that the Senate committee
attempting to operate by rational-choice guidelines did not even come close to
actually doing so. Part of this was due to the severe time constraints imposed by the
crisis situation, in essence replicating a more bounded rationality model. Part of the
problem, however, was also due to the committee being too large (ten students). An
option to correct this problem in the future could be to make the rational actor
group smaller by creating a Senate and a House committee. Less time would be
taken up with five instead of ten students trying to give their input on each policy
option presented and weighing the costs of benefits of each proposal. Even though
the rational choice group did not function as smoothly as anticipated, the students
still found the exercise quite helpful for understanding the dynamics of foreign
policy decision making, with eight students rating the exercise a 5, eight students
rating it a 4, three giving it a 3, and none giving it a 2 or 1 (on a five-point scale).
Conclusions
As IR instructors face the challenge of conveying the events and dynamics of a
complex world to their students today, they have a growing array of active-learning
techniques to draw upon. The use of role-play scenarios is just one of these
techniques that works well to effectively supplement the traditional lecture format.
As Hertel and Millis (2002) note, learning happens when students are motivated,
when they are actively involved in the process instead of being passive observers. In
my peacekeeping and foreign policymaking exercises, the students expressed
excitement and enthusiasm about the exercises, as well as demonstrated a clear
grasp of the established learning objectives. Being actively involved did make a
difference in their learning. These exercises helped the students apply more
abstract concepts to real-life situations. Halpern (1994:3) notes what a critical task
this is: ‘‘We need to prepare students to become global citizens, which requires a
curriculum that reflects worldwide contributions to knowledge and that applies
CAROLYN M. SHAW
13
knowledge to worldwide situations.’’ The use of role-play scenarios in the IR
classroom serves as an effective tool to promote student interaction and input,
curiosity and creativity, and learning and retention of materials by just having fun.
Appendix: Foreign Policy Decision Making
Crisis Situation: Overview*
The forty-year civil war in Colombia has become more and more violent in recent
weeks, with over 5,000 peasant refugees crossing the borders into neighboring
Venezuela and Ecuador. There are regular reports of human rights violations by
the Marxist guerilla group (FARC) as well as by paramilitary groups (i.e., antiguerilla armed civilians) supported by the Colombian government. Both Venezuela
and Ecuador have requested financial assistance from the United States and the
international community to care for the refugees.
Colombian President Andres Perez has expressed an urgent need for more U.S.
material aid, including military helicopters and weapons.
Manuel Rodriguez, the leader of the FARC, has made a variety of inconsistent
statements including his desire to overthrow the Colombian government, his
aspiration to serve in the government, his wish to include members of FARC in a
ruling coalition, and his willingness to negotiate a ceasefire and final settlement with
the government.
The value of the Colombian peso has been steadily dropping for two months and
shows little chance of stabilizing. International investors are beginning to withdraw
their money from the country.
Day 2: Crisis Situation Update
The FARC guerrillas have taken the key cities of Medellin and Cartagena. They
appear to have some support among the Colombian peasants, but not as much
support from urban residents. The FARC has called for the resignation of President
Perez, but it is uncertain what its current military objectives are.
Refugees continue to flee the cities for the countryside and for safety across the
border. Some have experienced or witnessed atrocities committed by the rebel
forces.
Foreign investors are selling off Colombian stocks quickly and taking their capital to
safer markets.
Day 4: Crisis Situation Update
The Colombian military has been able to drive and confine the FARC into several
suburbs of Medellin and Cartagena, but the rebels have refused to surrender and
continue to demand President Perez’s resignation. The counter attack by the
Colombian military, however, has led to significant casualties among the army
forces. It is apparent that the FARC has been secretly rearming. There are
indications that some of their weapons were supplied by groups linked to Al Qaeda.
The Colombian government has announced that it is about to default on its foreign
loans and needs U.S. support in the IMF to secure emergency loans. Its current
foreign public debt is $30 billion and it is requesting an additional $20 billion in
emergency funds.
n
Note that although there are a number of similarities between the Crisis Situation and current Colombian
politics, the simulation is fictional and structured to promote greater understanding of foreign policy decision
making models.
14
Using Role-Play Scenarios in the IR Classroom
Day 6: Crisis Situation Update
President Perez has been assassinated. The rules of succession are unclear in the
Colombian Constitution and no clear leader has emerged from the top leadership yet.
The FARC guerrillas have rallied and marched on the capital city of Bogota.
Several top government officials have demanded immediate U.S. military assistance
to keep the capital from falling to the rebels. The FARC leader has declared that
any military force (Colombian or foreign) that opposes the rebels is an enemy of the
people and a legitimate target.
Diplomats in the United Nations and the Organization of American States are
meeting to consider resolutions addressing the crisis, and are requesting member
states to provide immediate humanitarian assistance as they are able.
Role: You are members of the Senate Latin American Committee, a subcommittee of
the Foreign Relation Committee. It is your job to write and review all Senate
legislation on foreign policy issues relating to Latin America. The President also
seeks your input and expertise as he formulates U.S. policies toward the region.
Decision-Making Guidelines:
You are motivated to make the best decisions that you can based on as much
information as possible. One question that regularly drives your decision making is
what impact the issue at hand has on American security. You are not inclined to give
priority to issues that have little impact on U.S. security interests. You are very
systematic in the way you make policy, taking each of the following steps in turn:
1. Problem Recognition and Definition. You objectively define the characteristics
of the problem to be addressed. You gather all the relevant data/information
concerning the problem.
2. Goal Selection. You determine specifically what you want to accomplish, and
then rank / prioritize all of your goals.
3. Identification of Alternatives. You must identify all policy options and weigh
the costs and benefits of each.
Follow these steps above as you consider the problems in Colombia.
Once you have used these decision-making guidelines to consider various policy
options, determine your recommendations to the president about what should be
done in Colombia.
Role: You are a top level official in the State Department meeting with other top officials
from different departments to advise the president on the situation in Colombia.
Decision-Making Guidelines:
The president has emphasized that he wants a single consensual policy
recommendation from the group so that the U.S. can present a united front in
the face of this crisis. You must thus work to persuade the members from other
departments to see reason and adopt your diplomatic proposals before taking rash
military action.
As a professional diplomat, you believe that there is a possibility for a peaceful
negotiated settlement to the conflict. You would like the United States to call for UN or
OAS action to pressure the parties to adopt a cease-fire. You believe there are a number
of common goals that both sides share if they can be forced to sit down at a negotiating
table and discuss them instead of shooting at each other and seizing territory.
If the UN is unable to take effective action, you believe there are professional
negotiators within the State Department who can bring the parties together and try
to work out some kind of power sharing arrangement, or general amnesty.
CAROLYN M. SHAW
15
In addition to your concern about reaching a negotiated settlement, you are also
quite concerned that the United States address the refugee problem stemming
from the high levels of violence in Colombia. Any policy recommendation should
include some provisions to help these poor people.
Discuss the circumstances and policy options with your colleagues and determine
what policy recommendation you would make to the president. What options ought
to be given top priority?
Role: You are a top level official in the Defense Department, meeting with other top
officials from different departments to advise the president on the situation in
Colombia.
Decision-Making Guidelines:
The president has emphasized that he wants a single consensual policy
recommendation from the group so that the U.S. can present a united front in
the face of this crisis. You must thus work to persuade the members from other
departments to see reason and adopt your strategic military proposals in order to
protect U.S. military personnel and avoid setting dangerous precedents.
You are in favor of providing additional military hardware to the Colombian
government just as the United States has for over a decade. You are reluctant,
however, to commit U.S. troops to the counter-insurgency movement. The United
States has been involved only in limited counter-narcotics operations in the past
because of the extremely volatile political conditions and hazardous terrain in
Colombia.
You recall the strong public backlash in 1992 when U.S. marines were killed in
Somalia and do not believe there is enough public support for a sustained U.S.
intervention in Colombia. You are also aware that many of the high-tech weapons
used by U.S. forces are not ideal for the jungle warfare found in Colombia.
Discuss the circumstances and policy options with your colleagues and determine
what policy recommendation you would make to the president. What options ought
to be given top priority?
Role: You are a top level official in the CIA, meeting with other top officials from
different departments to advise the president on the situation in Colombia.
Decision-Making Guidelines:
The president has emphasized that he wants a single consensual policy
recommendation from the group so that the United States can present a united
front in the face of this crisis. You must thus work to persuade the members from
other departments to see reason and adopt a proposal for immediate action to
prevent another attack on the United States.
[TOP SECRET]
Due to the sensitive nature of intelligence gathering and the risk to operatives in
Colombia, your agency is currently unwilling to reveal that they briefly located
Osama Bin Laden in Colombia two weeks ago. The Agency lost track of him
suddenly and has been unable to determine his whereabouts since that time.
It is your belief you, the United States, must take an immediate, strong military
stance in the country to prevent attacks on the U.S. or greater regional instability
in Latin America that threatens U.S. interests. The United States has a great deal
at stake in Colombia despite its lack of attention to the conflict in the past.
When your intelligence concerning Al Qaeda becomes public knowledge, you
may have an easier time convincing the public and other government agencies
that swift, harsh action is necessary.
16
Using Role-Play Scenarios in the IR Classroom
Discuss the circumstances and policy options with your colleagues and
determine what policy recommendation you would make to the president. What
options ought to be given top priority?
Role: You are a top level official in the Commerce Department, meeting with other
top officials from different departments to advise the president on the situation in
Colombia. You do not usually advise the president on security issues, but since
the United States has considerable trade interests in Colombia and the Latin
American region, you have been asked to contribute to the discussion.
Decision-Making Guidelines:
The president has emphasized that he wants a single consensual policy
recommendation from the group so that the United States can present a united
front in the face of this crisis. You must thus work with the other group members
to determine what policy recommendation would best serve U.S. interests.
Your area of expertise is trade and economics. You recognize the dangerous
nature of the economic decline in Colombia and the risk it poses to other
countries in the region. A regional economic downturn would also strongly affect
the U.S. economy. Also, U.S. energy interests are at risk given the oil exports
from Ecuador and Venezuela that are shipped to the United States.
You understand that political stability and economic stability are closely linked
and would like to provide support for the Colombian government in order to
strengthen its economy.
Discuss the circumstances and policy options with your colleagues and
determine what policy recommendation you would make to the president. What
options ought to be given top priority?
Role: You are a top level official in the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), meeting
with other top officials from different departments to advise the president on the
situation in Colombia. You do not usually advise the president on security issues,
but since the United States has been involved in counter-narcotics operations in
Colombia for some time, your advice has been requested.
Decision-Making Guidelines:
The president has emphasized that he wants a single consensual policy
recommendation from the group so that the United States can present a
united front in the face of this crisis. You must thus work with the other group
members to determine what policy recommendation would best serve U.S. interests.
The DEA has been working closely with the Colombian government for several
years and believes its mission to disrupt the drug trade is very important to
strengthening the democratic government and stabilizing relations in the region.
The DEA has consistently requested more military hardware for the Colombian
officials to help them carry out their anti-narcotics operations (recognizing that these
are frequently anti-insurgency operations as well). You believe it is important to
support the legitimate democratically elected government in Colombia. You consider
the FARC to be simply drug running thugs, not worthy of respect or consideration.
Discuss the circumstances and policy options with your colleagues and
determine what policy recommendation you would make to the president. What
options ought to be given top priority?
Role: You are the President of the United States.
Situation:
You are facing a serious crisis in Colombia and are expected to take on a strong
leadership role by the U.S. citizens as well as by the international community. You
CAROLYN M. SHAW
17
have asked for policy recommendations from your top level officials in the State
Department, Defense Department, Commerce Department, DEA, and the CIA.
You are also working closely with congressional leaders in the Senate Latin
American Committee. It is up to you to articulate a clear policy after carefully
considering the value of the advice given to you by your top officials and
Congress, your feelings about the crisis, and the overall situation.
As your officials meet to discuss the crisis, you also work to come up with some
viable policy options of your own, taking into account the following factors:
Your Personal Background:
You rose to your current position after serving as a representative and a senator
from the state of Florida. Many of your strongest supporters have been CubanAmericans with strong anti-communist/anti-Castro sentiments. You have also
succeeded in appealing to a growing number of Latino voters in Texas and
California in your bid for reelection next year.
One of your greatest successes in office has been the negotiation and signing of
the Berlin Accords, which has brought stability to the Middle East. The world
community acknowledges your diplomatic skills and ability to find nonmilitary
solutions to long-standing conflicts. You are personally relieved that you did
not have to risk the lives of U.S. military personnel by sending them into the
Middle East.
Your administration has not paid a great deal of attention to Latin America,
focusing instead on routing out terrorist threats in the Middle East and Asia. The
strongest connections to the region have been trade-related as the Latin
American economies and markets have grown.
Your officials will report to you periodically during the exercise and you must
make the final determination of what policy to pursue. Be prepared to outline a
clear set of policies toward Colombia, and then to explain WHY you have
decided on that particular course of action. In other words, you must ‘‘sell it to
voters.’’ (Your reasoning can be based on logic, personal beliefs, etc.)
Foreign Policy Decision Making Role-Play Assessment
Please take some time to answer each of the following questions carefully. I will use
these assessments to determine whether this exercise was useful to the class and
should be repeated in the future.
1. What decision making model was your group operating by?
2. What other decision making models were the other groups operating by?
3. Briefly describe how your group arrived at the policy recommendations/
decisions that it did.
4. What differences did you note in the way each group reached its policy
choice?
5. What challenges did your group face as it struggled to determine what U.S.
policy should be in this crisis situation? Do you think this resembles some of
the challenges that real policy makers face? Why or why not?
6. Do you think a crisis makes any difference in foreign policy decision making?
Why or why not?
7. Based on this exercise, which model of decision making do you believe most
accurately describes the foreign policy process today? Why?
8. Was it difficult for you to step into and play the role you were given? Why or
why not?
9. What did you learn about foreign policy decision making from this
simulation?
18
Using Role-Play Scenarios in the IR Classroom
10. Was this exercise helpful to you for understanding the dynamics of foreign
policy decision making and the different models that describe it?
Rank your answer on a scale of 1 to 5:
Not at all helpful
1
2
3
4
Very helpful
5
Additional Comments/Suggestions:
Peacekeeping Role Play
Background of the Conflict:
The end of the Cold War removed the stabilizing forces that had been in place in
the country of Zodora since its independence in 1960. As the two world
superpowers (the United States and the Soviet Union) showed a decreasing
interest in the country, the three ethnic groups that make up Zodora’s population
began to assert their own political agendas concerning the future of the state. The
two largest groups, the Achoa and Balboans, are closely related to each other and
share many common cultural links. They are divided, however, over the issue of
political power. When the imperial colonists left Zodora, they placed the Balboan
people in charge. The Balboan people ran the country with the support of the U.S.
government because of their strong anticommunist stance. Their strong political
position gave them many opportunities to enrich their own ethnic group. The
Achoa, although they were the most numerous, had little political representation
and were often the victims of government persecution. The third ethnic group, the
Kikuyus, have fewer cultural similarities to the Achoa or Balboans and thus do not
feel strong ties to either of these groups, nor do they identify themselves as
‘‘Zodorans.’’ They live in a resource rich area of the country and have separatist
aspirations.
The conflict began when the Kikuyu people decided to assert their autonomy
and withhold their resources from the rest of the country in order to enrich their
own region. The Balboan-led government sent in military troops to restore the flow
of resources to the rest of the country and the Kikuyu resisted. As the conflict
escalated, the Achoa people initially chose to support the Balboan government and
to provide additional troops and supplies. In exchange for this help, they
demanded a greater share of political power in the government. When greater
power sharing did not materialize, they turned against the Balboan military forces,
sabotaging their efforts against the Kikuyu region.
This three-way civil war led to a complete break down in social services (which
had been minimal to begin with), increasing refugee flows, and accusations of war
crimes and other human rights violations. The intransigence of the three factions
resulted in little motivation for the parties to negotiate or reach any kind of
settlement. The international community is growing increasingly alarmed as the
violence escalates and has decided to send in a multilateral peacekeeping force to
restore some semblance of order and to bring about a settlement. Although NGOs
(nongovernmental organizations) are not a specific component of this international
force, they also have representatives in Zodora carrying out their own missions.
Military Peacekeeping Forces
Your group is part of the command structure of the military peacekeeping forces
entering Zodora. The military component is a UN operation, authorized by the
Security Council under Chapter VII and is comprised of multinational troops. Your
forces are drawn from several Western countries and have considerable resources
and armaments at their disposal.
CAROLYN M. SHAW
19
Mission Mandate:
The military forces comprising the peacekeeping operation have been given
three broad tasks:
(a) to maintain an effective cease-fire as soon as the factions have agreed to one
(b) to keep the warring forces separate
(c) to protect civilians from war related violence
Current Situation:
The Balboan military has superior numbers and armaments, but has not been
able to counter the guerrilla tactics of the Kikuyus effectively. The Balboan
commanders recognize the considerable losses they have taken, but believe they can
still win the battle against the Kikuyu and subdue the Achoa once the struggle for
secession is put down. Several recent battles have taken place within villages and
towns in the Kikuyu region as the Balboan forces have attempted to flush out the
elusive Kikuyu forces.
I. Consider what problems your force will face in relation to the warring
factions, the civilian population, logistics, and the need to protect your own
troops. What rules of operation/ rules of engagement would you establish for
your troops? What specific tasks would your forces engage in to carry out the
mandate?
II. What resources do you need in order to best carry out your mission?
III. What would you ask for from the other components (diplomatic and NGOs)
to help you in fulfilling your mission?
Diplomatic Mission
Your group is composed of members of the diplomatic team attempting to resolve
the conflict in Zodora. Your chief negotiator is from a Western country that is
viewed as largely neutral to the conflict. The diplomats have the moral backing of
the U.S. as well as many other European countries that want to end the violence
and establish a stable, democratic government as quickly as possible.
Mission Mandate:
The diplomats who make up the peacekeeping operation have been given a
series of difficult tasks to accomplish in order to restore order in Zodora:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
negotiate a cease-fire
negotiate a withdrawal of military forces
arrange for the provisions of an interim government
clarify positions of the factions for a more conclusive/long-term settlement
Current Situation:
The Balboan military has inflicted considerable damage on the Kikuyu military
forces, but the Kikuyu show little willingness to end the conflict. The Kikuyu have
adopted guerrilla tactics and have occasionally attacked Balboan villages on the
border. There have been reports of atrocities during these attacks. The Achoa are
the most weary of the consequences of the civil war, facing shortages of basic
supplies and services, but they have little trust for the Balboans since they failed to
share political power after agreeing to it early in the conflict.
I. Consider what problems your team will face in dealing with the warring
factions, the civilian populations, and the other peacekeeping components.
20
Using Role-Play Scenarios in the IR Classroom
What guidelines would you establish in order to carry out your mission?
Specifically, what tasks would your team engage in to carry out its mandate?
II. What resources or conditions do you need in order to best carry out your
mission?
III. What would you ask for from the other components (military forces and
NGOs) to help you in fulfilling your mission?
NGO Mission: Provision of Aid
Your group is a member of an NGO. They are in Zodora trying to provide aid to
the civilian population throughout the country. Most of your field teams are in the
Kikuyu region where the deprivations are the worst.
Mission Mandate:
The members of your team have been given a two main tasks to accomplish to
provide relief in Zodora:
(a) provide food for civilians faced with insufficient supplies
(b) provide medical supplies for civilians injured by the fighting
Current Situation:
There is active fighting in the border region between Kikuyu guerrilla forces and
the Balboan military. There have been reports of atrocities committed by the
Kikuyu forces on Balboan civilians. There are also dwindling resources in the
Achoa region although the fighting there is minimal. There are a number of other
NGOs in the field with mandates similar to your own.
I. Given the risky environment and the need to protect your own people, what
rules of operation would you establish in order to carry out your mission?
What tasks would your team engage in to carry out its mandate?
II. What resources do you need in order to best carry out your mission?
III. What would you ask for from the other components (diplomatic and military
forces) to help you in fulfilling your mission?
NGO Mission: Refugee Relief
Your group is a member of a private NGO. They are in the two countries bordering
Zodora trying to protect and provide aid for the refugees being displaced by the
war in Zodora. You are also working closely with the UNHCR (UN High
Commission for Refugees).
Mission Mandate:
The members of your team have been given a two main tasks to accomplish to
provide relief to refugees:
(a) provide food and shelter for the refugees
(b) provide a safe haven for those seeking protection from the violence of the
war
Current Situation:
There is active fighting in the border region between Kikuyu guerrilla forces and
the Balboan military. There have been reports of atrocities committed by the
CAROLYN M. SHAW
21
Kikuyu forces on Balboan civilians. Kikuyu refugees have been leaving the Kikuyu
region steadily since the fighting intensified two months ago. They show little desire
to return to Zodora in the near future, fearing further violence. There has also
been a growing number of Balboan refugees fleeing from guerilla attacks on their
villages.
I. Given the risky environment and the need to protect your own people,
what rules of operation would you establish in order to carry out your
mission? And what tasks would your team engage in to carry out its
mandate?
II. What resources do you need in order to best carry out your mission?
III. What would you ask for from the other components (diplomatic and military
forces) to help you in fulfilling your mission?
NGO Mission: Human Rights Protection
Your group is a member of a private NGO, Human Rights Watch International.
Your organization’s founding principle is to protect human rights around the
world, especially in conflict zones.
Mission Mandate:
The members of your team have been given two main tasks to accomplish in
order to protect human rights in the country of Zodora:
(a) monitor and record human rights abuses as they occur
(b) report/publicize these abuses in order to improve international
awareness of the problems and to put pressure on the guilty parties to
stop
Current Situation:
There is active fighting in the border region between Kikuyu guerrilla forces and
the Balboan military. There have been reports of atrocities committed by the
Kikuyu forces on Balboan civilians (kidnappings, chopping off hands or ears to
induce fear, burning of houses). Similarly, Kikuyu villagers report that the Balboan
military has brutalized their population to force political submission on the region
(rape, execution of village leaders). Consequently, there has been a growing
number of Balboan and Kikuyu refugees fleeing from the fighting to neighboring
countries.
I. Given the risky environment and the need to protect your own people,
what rules of operation would you establish in order to carry out your
mission?
II. And what specific tasks would your team engage in to carry out its mandate?
III. What resources would you need in order to best carry out your mission?
Peacekeeping Role-Play Assessment
Please take some time to answer each of the following questions carefully. I will use
these assessments to determine whether this exercise was useful to the class and
should be repeated in the future.
22
Using Role-Play Scenarios in the IR Classroom
1. List the different actors involved in peacekeeping activities and their specific
interests.
2. Describe any conflicting goals these actors have.
3. Did you have trouble translating your mission mandate into specific plans of
action to achieve your goals? Do you think real peacekeepers face similar
difficulties?
4. What additional challenges do you think peacekeepers face in real conflict
situations?
5. How would you characterize the interactions among the different actors
involved in peacekeeping?
6. What did you learn about peacekeeping from this exercise?
7. Was this exercise helpful to you for understanding the dynamics of
peacekeeping and the variety of actors involved? (1–5)
5 ¼ very helpful; 1 ¼ not helpful at all
Additional comments/suggestions:
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